Mountain View Voice

News - July 13, 2012

MV driver arrested in deadly pedestrian crash

by Nick Veronin

Family members of the man killed in a grisly car accident last month reacted with relief Tuesday to the news that police have arrested the driver of the vehicle that killed William Ware as he waited for his bus on the morning of June 21.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m. that day, police say 21-year-old Mountain View resident Matthew Pumar allegedly sped through a red light, swerved to avoid a truck entering the intersection and lost control of his car. The vehicle jumped a curb, plowed through a pole, two trees and smashed into William Ware, killing the 50-year-old man who was waiting at the bus stop. The car finally came to rest near the intersection of California Street and Escuela Avenue, according to Liz Wylie, public information officer for the Mountain View Police Department.

Pumar turned himself in to officers at the Mountain View Police Department on July 10, Wylie said. Pumar was accompanied by his attorney and a bail bondsman. After he was arrested for one count of "vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence," Pumar immediately posted $100,000 bail and was released.

Ware's brother, who had expressed vexation that Pumar was not arrested the day of the accident, said it was good to know an arrest had been made.

"While it is hard to (verbalize) how I feel as an individual, or how the family feels collectively about the news, we are glad that the legal process is moving forward," Jim Ware said. "The Ware family would like to thank the MVPD for their efforts to complete their investigation in a timely and professional manner."

"I can't thank the Mountain View police and the community enough for all the help," said Dolores Marquez, Ware's niece. "It was really hard to be patient."

During that time police collected the evidence they needed to make the July 10 arrest, Wylie said. That included gathering witness statements and evaluating the distance the car traveled and objects it knocked over, as well as the damage it did to Ware's body, which his family says was dismembered.

"Although the investigation has not yet been completed, enough evidence existed to show that Pumar ran the red light at that intersection and was speeding," Wylie wrote. "Ware was standing on the sidewalk. The primary cause of the collision was reckless driving. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor."

If convicted, Pumar could be sentenced to up to six years in a state prison, according to Cindy Hendrickson, supervising deputy district attorney for Santa Clara County.

Court proceedings will begin in about two weeks, Hendrickson said, estimating that Pumar will likely be arraigned sometime around July 24 at the Palo Alto Courthouse. A prosecutor has yet to be assigned to the case.